


Why, You Little Minx!

by user83278



Series: Minx [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Christmas Fluff, Drabble, F/M, Female Stiles Stilinski, Girl!Stiles, Had to get this out of my system, Young Peter Hale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-02
Updated: 2013-12-10
Packaged: 2018-01-03 07:17:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1067617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/user83278/pseuds/user83278
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles around Stiles and Peter...the plot bunnies have been in my head for so long, they need to get out or they'll suffocate!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. baking

**Author's Note:**

> So, apparently, I'm working on my other story but this has just been bothering me and my fingers were itching to write it.
> 
> English is not my native language.
> 
> Thanks for commenting, kudos and/or bookmarks

Peter pulled out his phone to check the list his sister had given him yesterday.

  
Shoes. Check.  
  
Jacket and/or coat. Check.  
  
Socks. Check.  
  
Pants, skirt, pullovers. Check.  
  
Crayons, an art smock for kindergarten. Check  
  
Snow attire. Check. __  
  
Although completely unnecessary, Peter rolled his eyes. His niece was a werewolf. A three-year-old healthy werewolf, who did not need _snow attire_! He had tried to reason with Charlotte, however, as his mother had told him with a sigh “there's no reasoning with a mother, dear”.  
  
So, here he was, in the middle of the mall on a Saturday, with Lilly holding onto his hand since she didn't want to get lost. __  
  
Smart kid, Peter smiled to himself.  
  
“Uncle Peter?” The little girl tugged at his fingers.  
  
“What is it?” He squatted down next to her so that they were almost at the same eye level. She had inherited his mother's hazel eyes.  
  
“Are we done, yet?”  
  
Peter chuckled. Shopping was not her favorite part-time, much to his sister's disappointment, who had hoped for a partner in crime when they had found out that she had been expecting a baby girl.  
  
“Well,” he looked at the screen of his phone again, “we got everything your mom wanted us to get”. _But it's only 1 pm and I'm kinda supposed to keep you away from home for a couple more hours, so your parents can get all of your presents wrapped,_ the young man scowled slightly. He couldn't tell her that, so he might be in for a bit of a tantrum, if she was really fed up with the mall. The place was exhausting enough for a werewolf on an average day, nonetheless, since the holidays were coming closer, people started to get into a shopping frenzy. He had to stop himself from growling at people several times already with being a responsible adult and all of that crap. So a tantrum was definitely a possibility. His niece was a Hale, after all and if his experiences with three older sisters and two older nieces were anything to go by...he needed a Plan B, quick!  
  
“Can we go visit Stiles?” Her eyes sparkled pleadingly. Of course, they would. Lilly had become infatuated with the teenage girl the moment they had met and Stiles had bonded almost instantly with the pup. Stiles loved children. A fact that his mother liked to shove into his face quite often.  
  
“I don't know”, that child was brilliant! He would _so_ get her the picnic basket set they had seen earlier. Screw Charlotte and her educational toys! “But how about I call her and we see what she's doing, yeah?”  
  
“Yay!” Lilly cheered and moved closer to him as he started FaceTime, so that she was able to see the 4-inch-screen.  
  
Apparently, Stiles was online, yet, it took her a moment to answer the call. Peter was not prepared for what he saw.  
  
“Hey”, Stiles greeted him cheerfully. Her iPad was most likely propped up on the kitchen counter for Peter watched in utter surprise as she sifted something into a large mixing bowl. There was flour on her face, in her hair and on her apron. Her Batman apron.  
  
“Hi, Stiles!” Lilly beamed when she caught the older girl's attention, who grinned in return.  
  
“Hi, sweetie”, she put the bowl aside, wiped her hands on her apron and faced the camera, “ what are you guys doing today?”  
  
“We're at the mall”, the toddler told her, “and it's really loud and it stinks”.  
  
“Well that sucks”, Stiles managed a most sincere look, however, the twitch of her upper lip betrayed her, “did your mom make you guys go?”  
  
“Yes”, both the girl and Peter sighed in unison, topped with an eye roll. Stiles claimed it was a genetic trade, Peter would deny that.  
  
“What are you doing?” Lilly inquired, obviously curious about Stiles attire.  
  
“Me?” The teenager slowly lifted the tablet from its spot on the counter, smiling widely. “I've been baking cookies all day long!” She exclaimed while turning the camera towards the kitchen table where _masses_ of cookies were laid out. Peter heard Lilly gasp the same time his stomach rumbled a little. Those were some tasty looking cookies!  
  
“Next up is the amazing gingerbread house”, the camera turned and revealed several pieces of gingerbread that had already been cut into different shapes.  
  
“Can we come?! Uncle Peter, can we come?! Please!? Please!” Lilly was tugging on his sleeve, giving him the most pleading look.  
  
“Of course, you guys can come over”, Stiles appeared again, a fond twinkle in her eye, “I'll wait with the house until you're here, okay?”  
  
“Okay!” The little girl cheered excitedly, causing Peter to chuckle.  
  
“Did you have lunch, yet?” The question was directed at Peter.  
  
“Not yet”, they had had breakfast pretty early, too, now that he thought about it. Charlotte had shooed them out of the house at an unholy hour for a Saturday because she hadn't wanted them to get caught up in traffic, hence why they were done with their list already.  
  
“Then how about I make some spaghetti, we have lunch together and then, we'll build the most awesome gingerbread house ever?”  
  
“Yay!” Lilly definitely agreed with that plan.  
  
“We'll be there in about an hour”, Peter grinned slightly before ending the call.  
  
***********************

Looking over the cookie tins on his desk, Peter was tempted to eat just one more macaron. Just one more bite of tasty peppermint goodness. Or one with gingerbread flavor. Or one with macadamia. Or a cookie. A chocolate chip caramel peanut cookie.

Their afternoon had been filled with sweet delights, laughter and of course, a bit of a mess in the Stilinski kitchen but it had been worth it. Lilly's face alone when they had assembled and decorated the gingerbread house...priceless. Naturally, as his mother was the den maker, the little one had helped her grandmother bake before. Lilly was always interested in everything happening inside their kitchen, however, Peter could not recall them having built a gingerbread house before, not even when he had been little. So, this had been a first for him as well and the result of their work had been, to quote Stiles “awesome”.

A two storied cabin-style gingerbread house with royal icing that was now proudly standing on a sideboard in the Hales' entryway. Stiles had insisted that they take it home with them since “Christmas is coming and you cannot have Christmas without a gingerbread house, besides I already made like five and Dad's been eying them. Like _eying_ them. Like, the way you eyed that poor little baby deer a few weeks back. One more and I think, he'll crack. I'm also pretty sure he's the roof thief for the one in the living room but I'm still lacking evidence. Peter, you wouldn't mind being around for an interrogation, would you?”.

His mother and Lilly's parents had been impressed with the small house, just like everybody else having come home. Except for Derek, of course. Derek was still a bit of a problem in that regard. His nephew had also refused to try any of the baked goods Stiles had packed for them.

 _His loss_ , Peter thought absentmindedly while his gaze swept over the tins in front of him. Two tins, both of medium size with winter themes on them. One a simple dark blue with elegant snowflakes, the other a bright red with Christmas trees. When Peter had asked why there had been two tins especially for him, Stiles had merely shrugged ,“One for home and one for work. But that's up to you, I guess. Just bring them back in when they're empty and I'll fill them back up for you”.

She had also filled a bright little tin for Lilly and another, rather _large_ tin, for his family. His mother had been all over the macadamia macarons, while his sisters had devoured the vanilla and chocolate ones. Talia could have pulled rank, seeing as the Alpha was entitled to get first serve, however, she had refrained from doing so, perhaps because a note stuck to the inside of the tin's lid had read “Be nice about the cookies, otherwise Santa will know that you have been naughty”. His father had been highly appreciative of the coffee flavored cookies since he didn't favor sweet aromas. He had immediately told Peter that he had a good girl and that he should get his mother the recipe for the cookies. His mother had swatted a hand at his father, followed by a playful glare, and informed her son that, while he was at it, he should also ask for the recipe for the macadamia macarons.

His phone buzzed.

_Going to bed now. Had a lot of fun today, thanks for that :) - Stiles_

Peter smiled at his phone.

_Well, I built a house today, so I can get that off my bucket list. Sleep tight. x_


	2. cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another plot bunny is free to run...thank you for the kudos and the bookmarks, they really surprised me and are much appreciated <3

Stiles chewed on her lower lip in annoyance. She had to go to the bathroom. That itself was not so bad. Given the fact that she had downed a lot of water the evening before, her current situation was kind of expected and inevitable. And going to the bathroom would definitely get rid of the pressure on her bladder. The massive pressure on her bladder. Like Niagara and the Hoover Dam and the Three Gorges Dam combined. But going to the bathroom would ensue leaving her bed and she didn't want to leave the bed for several, very important, reasons.

First, it was cold. Freezing. Jack Frost on acid...and her bed was all nice and warm and cozy and warm and _not cold_.

Second, she really should teach Mother Nature a lesson and be her own woman. She was in charge of her pee, not the other way around!

Her eyebrows started to twitch lightly.

Third, she was kind of naked and to lazy to put on any clothes just so she would get a minimal amount of non-existing protection from the cold. Had she mentioned that it was cold? It was an icy hell!

Fourth, the bathroom was so far away from her room. Like, really, a lot of feet that would be like miles in her state of need _and cold_ and it was dark and she might get lost on the way, or attacked or something else very life threatening.

Fifth, it was in the middle of the night and she was supposed to sleep! If she were to leave the comfort of her bed right now to seek _much much MUCH_ needed release, it would probably take her _forever_ to get comfortable again which meant it would be _forever_ before falling asleep again and there was school tomorrow and she would have to get up early, which she hated on a normal basis, yet in a sleep deprived state, the morning would be absolutely unbearable. Also, it was cold.

Sixth, it was really cold and there was probably a high risk of dying from hypothermia, if she left the bed.

It was totally reasonable to emphasize the cold.

The girl sighed peevishly. Oh, with the _pee_ again!

“Why y' 'wake?” A rumble went through the body plastered to her backside as she felt a nose nudging into her hair and a taught arm wrapping tighter around her midsection.

Seventh, Peter.

Peter, who was hot, like really really hot. Like a freaking heater, which was kind of the reason her bed was this oasis of warmth in a desert of ice. An island of sunshine in an ocean of glacial waters. A save haven for the...

“Why're you awake?” His voice was still thick with sleep, but she could clearly hear his annoyance. What reason did he have to be annoyed anyway? It was his fault that her bed was so much more awesome with him inside and all. Stupid werewolves and their higher body temperatures! Also, the nakedness? Totally his fault, too! She had planned for a nice evening of doing... _something_...when he had shown up at her doorstep. Yes, she had actually gotten him to use the door like an ordinary person. Either that, or her dad's threat of wolf's bane bullets. Stiles preferred to think it was her influence on the young wolf. Some of his relatives had arrived earlier that day and well, Peter did not appreciate the small “constantly crying bundle that's practically begging for someone to kill it” - his words – they had brought along. So, she really hadn't had any other choice than letting him in. Anything else would have been cruel and inhumane. She had even refrained from making (hardly) any shelter-jokes.

“Why”, Peter was now propped up on his elbow, while he used his other arm to turn the girl around, “Are. You. Awake?”

She could see the tiredness in his eyes. Whittemore had been a total ass ever since he had found out that his son was on the lower end of the totem pole due to his _lack of interest in socializing with the other wolves_ aka being a dick. Great, now, she felt sorry for waking Peter.

“I gotta go”, the brunette admitted with a scowl. Why did she sound like she was four or something?

“You gotta go?” Peter frowned, his brain was obviously not up to par at this hour. Eventually, his mind caught up and he let himself fall back into the cushions in an exhausted manner, eyes closed. “So, go.”

“But it's cold”, Stiles knew that she was whining but there was nothing to be ashamed of. It was freezing and who could guarantee her that there were no Yetis lurking in the hallway? No one, that's who.

“S not my problem”, he was already tugging the blankets around his body. Stupid werewolf!

“Stupid werewolf”, Stiles muttered under her breath, sending him a dirty look, “not all of us have a built-in heating system, you know?”

“Stupid human”, he murmured into the cushion, “jus' go an' be done with i'. An' don't wake me up again.”

“But it's co-old”, the teen was sitting upright on her bed now. This particular position was not helping her against the immense pressure in her lower regions. It was actually doing the complete opposite. Crap!

“Jus' go a'read'.”

“Fine, but FYI, if I die of hypothermia, I'll be buried within Jeep. You're a lawyer and the last person seeing me alive, so make it happen”, still, she didn't budge from the mattress, she merely regarded the floor with as much disdain as anybody had ever mustered for a floor.

Peter's eyes snapped open, a slight golden hue tinting the otherwise blue irises.

“If you don't go right now”, he bit out, “I'll kill you myself”.

Stiles was not impressed, not anymore at least. After having held Peter for several hours in a pool, surrounded by a vicious kanima, his threats and bitching had lost their effect on her.

“Your mom said you weren't allowed to kill me”, she glared back. Couldn't he relate to her misery?! Probably not, werewolves had bladders the size of melons or something.

“Mom said that?” Now, she had his attention. “How would she even know?”

“Your mother is a very smart woman”, Stiles grinned, “she may have gotten something out of me while we were preparing snacks in the kitchen.”

“What did you tell her?” Peter's tone was almost hesitant.

“I don't know, I mean”, the girl shrugged, “I hardly even remember the things I say anyways, so, well, dunno, but she said that if you acted out of line, I should tell her.” Mrs. Hale had not used those exact words, nonetheless, the meaning had been quite clear so, technically, it wasn't a lie that Peter could pick up on.

“And why would you do that?” He sat up again, his eyes fixed on her face for a reaction as he moved closer to her in a very predatory way.

“Who knows?” Stiles took that as her cue to leave the bed before Peter would get to close. He might be curious about the talks she had with his mother, yet, he wouldn't want to trade the comfort of her bed at this point. “Like anybody's got an idea of what's going on in my head. Got it's freezing!” She rubbed her hands over her upper arms before heading out of the door. “If I don't come back”, she started.

“I won't come looking for you”, Peter was already back under the blankets, only his hair was peeking out.

Stiles hurried down the hallway into the bathroom. She _really_ needed _to go!_

When she had finished, she was certain to have set up some kind of world record. The sheer amounts of...well, what happened in the bathroom should never be seen again.

The girl returned to her room, glared at Peter's supposedly sleeping form – stupid werewolf falling back asleep so easily! - and quickly fought her way back under the covers. The stupid werewolf was also a blanket hog! She usually didn't mind, seeing as he tended to be wrapped around her, but right now?! She might as well mountain ash him out of the bed, if the selfish asshole didn't share the much needed blankets anytime soon!

Stiles eventually settled down, her legs tucked tight against her body in search for warmth and she was getting drowsy again, when Peter shifted against her. His right arm pulled her back flush against his front, while his left arm dug a tunnel underneath her cushion. Almost immediately, his fingers found hers, as she tended to put her right hand beneath the pillow. The touch made her shiver slightly. She hadn't even noticed how cold she had been in comparison to his warmth. Peter inhaled deeply, kissed her neck and rumbled a little in his chest, the vibration strong against her body, easing her back into sleep.


	3. naughty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...be free plot bunny, be free!
> 
> Thank you all so much for your support <3

Peter looked sceptically around the room. Where to start?

He had left work early today. Whittemore had, naturally, not been too pleased with him finishing the horrendous load of case files this fast, nonetheless, he hadn't had been able to come up with any other _urgent cases_.

The dick.

Having been raised in a pack of werewolves with his father and now his oldest sister as the Alpha, Peter had learnt at a young age that there was a distinctive difference between their roles as parent and sibling an that of the Alpha. As Alpha, one had to act in the best interest of the pack, pushing all other family bonds aside.

Whittemore was apparently not capable of being professional about the fact that his son was considered Omega due to his inability to portray any kind of loyalty towards Talia and any respect towards McCall. Sure, Jackson would attend the training sessions his sister had set up for the younger wolves, still, he didn't show up because he wanted to get better for the benefit of the pack but for his own selfish reasons.

Peter remembered the beginning of this year, when Jackson Whittemore had not been in the know about their kind. He had basically been the kid's god, having tried to impress Peter with new stories about lacrosse games, swimming competitions and his _conquests_ every time he had been around the office. He just couldn't fathom why his brother had been stupid enough to bite the idiot. Of course, back then, Owen had been in his post-comatose craze for revenge and pack. Although he had been sane enough to stay away from Talia in order to take another alpha's power. He hadn't believed them to be real, had been trapped in a vision where none of them made it out of the house alive. What a sick nightmare. Owen had remained detached until this day, but Talia and his parents had high hopes that the family coming together for Christmas would provide enough safety for him to finally open up to their attempts at forming new bonds with him.

Peter shrugged of his suit jacket, folded it neatly over the back rest of Stiles' desk chair and loosened his tie before slipping the noose over his head. He laid it on top of his jacket and immediately went to unbutton his cuffs, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows. He had work to do. Or rather, he had research to do. Because he was an idiot.

He should have never given into ranting about people turning into mindless zombies, all intend on spending as much money as possible on superfluous gifts for Christmas. He had been in a bad mood that day and Stiles hadn't even been bothered with his attitude. She had just let him bitch, having known that he would feel a lot better afterwards. She was supportive like that, putting up with his moods without batting an eyelash. Peter liked that about her. A lot.

She was also very sneaky, which Peter usually appreciated. Usually. But not the moment he had mentioned that people should have been limited to spending not more than ten dollars per person, since obviously, nobody had had even remotely any idea of investments. Stiles had taken that as her cue to tell him that they had a deal.

“What deal?” He had looked at her incredulously.

“You, me, not more than ten bucks for Christmas presents”, the girl had grinned all over her face, a perfect show of teeth that any werewolf would have cherished.

That little minx!

This girl was cruel and cunning and vicious and, yeah, Peter kind of maybe loved that about her, if it wasn't directed at him! It wasn't supposed to be directed at him!

So, here he was in her room to search for any clues what to get her for ten dollars. It was barely past two pm, the Sheriff was still at work, Stiles would be at lacrosse practice till four and since no one had been home when he had arrived, he had let himself in with his spare key...his claws.

He had spend most of the past days searching the internet for any inspiration, but nothing had seemed appropriate for Stiles. Peter had almost ripped his sheets apart due to frustration. In the past, he had had no qualms about getting people either a voucher or simply asking them for what they wanted. Why was this so different? He should just get her a voucher from her favorite book store and be done with it, but no! Something about the idea of giving Stiles a voucher for Christmas bothered him and he couldn't figure out what it was. So, he would have to get her a real present. Asking her for a wish list was not an option, though, since she hadn't asked him what he wanted. Instead, when he had somehow managed to discreetly maneuver their discussion about Game of Thrones in the direction of Christmas gifts, she had had the audacity to exclaim that she had already been busy with his gift.

Minx!

He should get her a bracelet engraved with exactly that word, she seemed to be fond of it after all, since she had the tendency to refer to him as a “sly little minx”. His sisters never needed to know this. It would certainly be the end of him.

Peter scanned the room wearily. It was less _not clean_ and unorganized than normal, but where to start? He had been in this room many times before, therefore, he was quite familiar with the contents of the bookshelves, the DVD and games cluttered around the _general desk area._ Stiles had separated her room in areas. 14 areas. 14 areas that were actually 13, but since 13 was an unlucky number, she had skipped it and made it 14. She was crazy, what was he even doing here, just get her a voucher, Peter.

He opted to go through her wardrobe first. Perhaps she had some hidden storage in there?

The view he received after having opened the doors was disillusioning.

A lot of colors mixed with horribly clashing other colors, making him wince. He had seen Stiles naked. He had seen a lot of women naked. She had nothing to be ashamed of that was for sure. Maybe he could get her to try more fitting and uni-colored clothes as part of some New Year's resolution? It would definitely be worth a try.

Another half an hour passed with Peter rummaging through the wardrobe. The underwear drawer had taken longer than expected. The young man had contently noticed that Black Friday at Sawgrass had entailed way more Victoria's Secret than he had seen so far. There was this lacy red... _No, Peter, focus! What to get Stiles for Christmas, not thinking about her underwear!_

Eventually, Peter retrieved from the wardrobe and focused on the space underneath the teenager's bed. He was very grateful to be a werewolf since the floor was most likely a health hazard. When was the last time it had been properly cleaned? Probably never.

He sighed, squatted down next to the bed and bent forward to get a better look at...nothing? Nothing really, expect for a plastic box.

He pulled it out, opened the lid in hopes of finding anything remotely valuable to his research, yet, again, nothing.

A few comic books, some snacks – he had to stop himself from opening the Reese's, Stiles was highly aware of her snack stock status – a flashlight, another flashlight, a jar with mountain ash and another small plastic container. Why would she even keep a jar of mountain ash underneath her bed? He slept in that bed! That was clearly wrong and needed to be addressed. But how to address it, when Peter wasn't even supposed to know? He would come up with something, he always did. That's what made him such a good lawyer after all.

The smaller box was his last straw.

He lifted its lid and his eyes went wide.

**************************

At this point, Peter was not above growling at the ceiling anymore. Even though he would usually refrain from such a childish act, the mere amount of frustration he felt called for it. He had not been able to shake of the irritation that had practically haunted him ever since he had opened that damn box! He should have just gone with the voucher!

So, he had left the Stilinski household without any idea as to what he should get for Stiles, yet, the entire Christmas present dilemma had been pushed to the back of his mind with his recent discovery.

He had thought about it on his way home, almost having hit another car.

He had thought about it at home, when he had changed his clothes.

He had thought about it during dinner, gaining him a few curious glances due to his absent mind.

He was still thinking about it now that he was in bed, trying to go to sleep....for the last hour or so.

The box had contained Stiles' toys.

Toys that had really surprised him although he couldn't decide why that was.

Toys were alright, there was nothing wrong with owning or using them.

The thought of the girl using them...that did something to him.

On the one hand, he couldn't understand why he had never seen them before. They were together for a few months now and even before, Peter had occasionally dropped by to get information about the McCall pack. Stiles had referred to it as creepy stalking. He had never seen even one of them lying around and the girl wasn't too keen on moving stuff away.

Then, there was the fact that she had never mentioned them. Not once. Not even as a side note – Peter was pretty sure that he would have picked up on that.

So, they were a secret. A very intriguing secret.

Perhaps, she was ashamed of using them? Perhaps, she didn't use them anymore, now that they were having sex on a regular basis?

Oh, the possibilities that came to Peter's mind.

They were a secret, though.

Stiles could never now that Peter had been going through her stuff in order to find her a Christmas present, therefore, he would never be able to ask her and to satisfy his own curiosity.

Minx!

Peter snarled at his self-made predicament, while he noticed himself getting hard...again. For the umpteenth time ever since he had had to put the box back underneath the bed.

Mark his words, that girl would be the death of him!


	4. outlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't stop, can't stop, can't stop, can't stop...need sleep!

Stiles smacked her lips in anticipation.

She still had no idea as to why she was in the middle of the parking lot of an outlet mall on a Saturday morning – the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent to be exact – but she would certainly annoy the hell out of Peter in order to get some answers.

He wouldn't kill her while they were in public that's why she had been relatively quiet in the car. Although, she highly doubted that Peter would ever kill her in his car. It's not like he would want to taint the leather interior with the stench of death. Unless he would dispose of her body extremely fast. Wasn't it great how she considered him murdering her?

It had all started with an ominous text message yesterday afternoon.

_From Peter: Rearrange your schedule for tomorrow, we've got plans._

_To Peter: Are we going to the funeral of salutations? Seriously, whatever happened to “hello”?_

_From Peter: “Hello” got brutally murdered by “why bother”. Survival of the fittest._

_To Peter: So, what kind of plans?_

_From Peter: We'll go shopping. I'll pick you up at 8._

_To Peter: 8 pm?_

_From Peter: 8 AM._

_To Peter: Why do you hate me?_

_From Peter: You were the one who started with those damn outlets, so you will come along with me._

_To Peter: Yes and if I remember correctly, you were all snobbish about the mere thought of going to any outlet malls, so wtf ?_

_From Peter: Just be ready by 8. I'll treat you for breakfast on the way._

_To Peter: You're just scared of being in an enclosed space with me for a long period of time while I'm hungry. Snickers was right. You're not you when you're hungry._

_From Peter: Just be ready by 8!_

Of course, since it had really been her having mentioned the idea of going to an outlet mall, she had rearranged her work schedule for Saturday – she now had a double shift on Sunday, thank you very much – and gotten up at 7 am this morning. 7 am. On a Saturday. To go shopping. At an outlet mall. With Peter. The pretentious bastard!

The Stilinskis traditionally spent Thanksgiving in Florida, where most of her father's family lived. Stiles couldn't recall even one Thanksgiving that hadn't been followed by Black Friday madness at Sawgrass Mills. Sawgrass was also a bit a a tradition for the Stilinski women. Her grandmother had always taken her aunt and when her father had met her mother, she had also joined in. Then, her cousin and a couple of years back, Stiles had finally been deemed old enough to go as well. It was Black Friday, it was pure madness and by God, it was fun!

Peter, the snob – she knew his real middle name, yet, _snob_ hit the mark a whole lot better - Hale had snorted at her elaboration of the shopping experience an outlet mall provided. Of course, he had never set foot into any form of outlets before. Pretentious much!

Nonetheless, Stiles knew that she had planted the seed to his budding curiosity, so in a way, she was responsible for her current condition. On the one hand, she loved that she was able to get under his skin like that, on the other hand, getting up at 7 am on a Saturday to satisfy Peter's curiosity about outlets was so not what she had expected. Also, she was aware of Peter's axiomatic conviction that any kind of mall was bad, therefore, she foresaw a lot of bitching on his side for the entire day. Fun!

“Are you coming?” Peter's voice got her out of her reverie.

She turned her head to see him looking around the rows of parked vehicles. It wasn't even past 10.30 am, yet, the parking lot was already filling up nicely.

“So, what made you decide to do this, again?” The brunette quickly caught up to him – as though the bastard would ever wait for her!

“Don't you dare complaining, you started it”, Peter scanned the building they were walking towards to critically.

“I merely told you about my awesome time at Sawgrass”, Stiles glowered, “and you were all uppity-up about it, so, yeah, so not my fault this is happening right now.”

“Oh, shut up”, he rolled his eyes, however, when they entered the mall, he made sure to put his arm around her, which Stiles, well -

“What's with this arm thingy?” They weren't much for public affection, correction, Peter wasn't much for public affection. This day was getting stranger every minute.

“So you won't get lost”, the young man informed her with a humorless smile.

“Would so not!”

“Shut up.”

*************************

Stiles chewed absentmindedly on a Skittle, waiting for Peter to reemerge from behind the curtain of the changing room. The girl was seated on a worn leathery armchair. Next to her was Brad, whose fiancée was currently trying on the seemingly 50th outfit and across from them sat Avery, who had been forced to go shopping by his trophy wife. Needless to say, she had been occupying the chair for some time now without any reception whatsoever, otherwise, tumblr could have entertained her endlessly.

_So many kitty gifs, so little time._

A quick phone check revealed that it was twenty to four and luckily, she always had something to munch on her person. The breakfast Peter had treated her to had been really nice, nevertheless, that had been six and a half hours ago and a girl could only go so long without food. She would have to think of something soon, though, because Peter had been bitten by the outlet bug.

The first store they had ventured into had been _Ralph Lauren_. Peter's disdain for the displays of clothes and their prices had been beyond anything, which Stiles couldn't comprehend since _Ralph Lauren_ was definitely a brand that Peter wore. Along with _Lacoste_ , _Hugo Boss_ , anything with a lot of dollar signs on the price tag to be honest. Therefore, he had picked at a few items without interest until he had found a shirt. A shirt that she knew he owned in several different colors. A shirt that she knew that he owned in several different colors that was 60% off retail price as a special Christmas deal when one bought two of them or more.

His moment of realization had been truly marvelous. It was a rare feast to see Peter Pretentiousness Hale taken aback – she should have taken a picture, but she had not been able to get her phone out fast enough. Peter had licked blood and he was going for the kill.

After _Ralph Lauren_ , it had been _Jones New York, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic,_ a trip back to the car to put his stuff away, _Lacoste, Levi's, Gap, Adidas, something something_ – she couldn't recall all the stores, she was running low on sugar, okay? - back to the car again, then _Nike_ and now _Hugo Boss._

Peter was on a hunt and it was highly entertaining, yet, exhausting. Also, even though the mall offered some good deals, there were still a lot of dollars vanishing from Peter's credit card. Maybe, Stiles should put an end to this. Her stomach agreed loudly. She was also pretty thirsty.

The moment she began to contemplate ways to draw Peter's attention towards her misery was interrupted by him stepping out of the small cubicle. He had several – _several_ – hangers in both of his hands.

“I'm done”, he said while putting the clothes he was holding in his left hand on the rack for return items.

“Skittle?” Stiles followed him to the register. Suits. Peter had selected suits for work.

The bastard looked pretty damn good in a suit, she had to give him that. Tall, lean, tight muscles that moved gracefully underneath well-fitted pants, a dress shirt, a tie and a matching jacket. Her mouth went a tad bit dry at that thought.

“Sure”, he was pocketing his wallet again, when she handed him the small pack of sweets.

He popped a couple of them into his mouth before they eventually left the store. He could never just eat one flavor at at time.

“So”, Stiles felt the pressure of his arm on her back again, “how about coffee?”

“And a muffin?” The girl's eyes widened pleadingly. Food and drink! A miracle come true!

“I was thinking more along the lines of brownie, actually.”

Stiles cheered and for the first time that day, she put her right hand over Peter's resting on her shoulder, gave it a tight squeeze and entwined their fingers.

The werewolf didn't seem to mind at all.

****************************

It was 9 pm when Stiles finally settled down in her bed, the screen of her laptop showing omfgcata's YouTube channel. It had been a long day and she totally deserved some Jesse right now.

After leaving the mall, Peter had made a little detour to a really nice restaurant. Cozy, no dress code, great food, even a bit romantic. She hadn't been too pleased with him paying, given the fact the he had spent half a fortune at the outlets, however, he had insisted and she had been too tired to argue. A shopping marathon with a werewolf was a challenging workout.

Peter had dropped her off at home about half an hour ago, walking her up the stairs, kissing her goodbye. Perhaps more hadn't it been for her dad coughing on the other side of the door.

_Smooth, Dad. Really smooth._

He wasn't their biggest fan, that was for sure.

Stiles was just getting comfortable, loading a new episode of Jesse and Crendor's _Saints Row_ play through, as her phone vibrated on her nightstand.

She picked it up, checked the screen and frowned. A new message from Charlotte. Why would she text her? Had something happened to Peter?

_From Charlotte: Hi! Just saw Peter carrying a bunch of stuff into his room. What's with all of that? Anything for me in there? He said that you guys would spend the day together. What did you get?_

Stiles smiled. Peter's sisters were nice, no matter how much he contradicted.

_To Charlotte: Hi, too! Your brother wanted to go outlet shopping and I got dragged along since, apparently, I gave him the idea. He may have gotten a bit wild with all the stuff :D_

_From Charlotte: My brother set foot into an outlet mall? Willingly? Did you bribe him? What's his current price?_

_To Charlotte: Yes. Kinda, yes, I guess. No. Not a clue, probably highly overestimated._

The girl waited a few moments for Charlotte to answer, yet, her phone remained silent. The video was almost at its end, when her phone buzzed again.

_From Charlotte: So, what did you get?_

_To Charlotte: Free ride, free breakfast, free coffee, free banana muffin, free dinner and the amazing opportunity to see Peter hunting bargains._

_From Charlotte: So basically nothing?_

_To Charlotte: I wouldn't put it like that, besides, Peter wanted to go since he said that he needed some new pieces._

_From Charlotte: You didn't need anything?_

_To Charlotte: No._

_From Charlotte: Nothing at all?_

_To Charlotte: Nothing at all._

_From Charlotte: Wait a moment, please._

Also, Peter's sisters kind of liked her, well, Charlotte liked her while Talia was more _kind of_. Stiles never really knew where she stood with the female alpha. Then, there was the third sister, Sonia, whom she hadn't met, yet, and Peter's mom, who was awesome. Terrifying at times, but entirely awesome. After Stiles had met her, she had decided that she couldn't refer to Peter as a son of a bee anymore. That's how awesome his mother was. Additionally, the elder Hale would allow Stiles to help around the kitchen whenever the younger werewolves had a training session and would require refreshments afterwards. Peter had once mentioned that his mother was extremely protective of her territory aka the kitchen and that even her own children were only tolerated as long as they didn't touch anything. It seemed like there had been _incidents_ in the past, where Abigail Hale's children had proven their inability for the culinary arts.

A vibration ran through her hand, then another, then another.

_From Charlotte: The bastard told us that you had mentioned going shopping and that due to your work schedule, Saturday was the only real option you guys had to get together, so that he could not be around for decorating the house all Christmasy today._

_To Charlotte: That bastard! He didn't say anything about decorating the house!_

The second and the third message were from Peter.

_From Peter: Never convey information to any of my relatives again!_

_From Peter: You really didn't need anything, right?_

Stiles sighed, rubbing the heel of her hand over her face. He could suffer for a little while as she watched the end of her video and selected another before answering his text.

_To Peter: No, I didn't need anything, but I don't want to be your excuse for dodging family activities._

_From Peter: But you're a pretty good excuse._

_To Peter: Peter!_

_From Peter: Stiles!_

_To Peter: Write my real given name, I dare you._

_From Peter: Minx!_

She didn't get another message that evening.

Typically, someone would knock against her window when she was about to fall asleep. Stiles had an idea of who it might be.

“Peter”, she said out loud, “we talked about creeping outside of my window. It's kind of why I've gotten this frosted glass film, so you're either coming in or leaving and letting me go to sleep.”

She turned around to see her window being opened, Peter gliding into the room and him closing the pane again. He kicked off his shoes, folded his leather jacket over her reading chair, pulled off his shirt...

“I could have put some music on, if you wanted to strip for me”, the teen drawled a little, enticed by the view. Peter didn't respond to her teasing, though, he merely finished undressing until only his boxer briefs remained before crawling into bed next to her. That way, she got a good look at his face and she could see the distress in his features.

Stiles snuggled against him, knowing that physical proximity had a soothing effect on werewolves.

Of course, somebody must have given him a stern talk about providing and now his wolf was probably upset about portraying a lack of care.

Eventually, he wrapped his arms around her torso and began to plaster tiny kisses against her forehead that soon turned into licks. So, she was in for some werewolf TLC. When this had happened for the first time – Peter being more wolf than man, a state Stiles referred to as "wolfwalking" due to its high resemblance to sleepwalking – she had been a bit scared of him, since the wolf, while being a part of Peter, was its own entity and she had been rather insecure about how to act. At the end of it, she had settled for staying calm, not to panic and to make sure that her body language was clear due to the lack of verbal communication.

As Peter-Wolf was licking along her jawline, she stole a few kisses from him, earning herself an content growl.

She really didn't need anything besides this.


	5. mistletoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for so many kudos! That's amazing! Also, the bookmarks? Gotta love'em <3  
> Comments are also highly appreciated^^  
> Have fun reading this one

Monday afternoons were spent at the Hale house.

Talia Hale, Alpha of the Hale pack, had established a curriculum of training sessions for the younger werewolves over the summer, adjusted it slightly at the beginning of the school year and was very strict about everybody attending.

If one wasn't able to make it, they better had their parent calling.

That kind of strict.

Talia Hale was an intimidating woman, having the word _Alpha_ written all over her.

Stiles was glad that due to her awesome humanity, she didn't have to do suicide runs and training fights with the others. Of course, there were times when she felt excluded from their furry fun, but if it weren't for her being human, she wouldn't have been forced to stand back and she would have never been allowed to help Mrs. Hale in the kitchen.

Mrs. Hale was amazing.

A mother of five, former alpha female, den maker, organizing talent, artistic, highly intelligent with a sharp wit...and she actually allowed Stiles to help her in the kitchen. Her kitchen. Her kitchen where even her own children were merely tolerated as long as they didn't touch anything.

So, to be allowed to work alongside Abigail Hale in her own kitchen was quite the accomplishment for a measly loud human girl.

Besides, the elder woman used the time they shared to teach Stiles about werewolf lore.

Mrs. Hale had laughed, when Stiles had told her that researching werewolf lore on the internet had usually ended with some Twilight fanfiction.

Lilly tended to be around them as well, since the little one was keen on everything happening in the kitchen. She even had her own frilly apron, matching oven mittens and her very own child-sized muddler. The three-year-old girl picked up on the recipes her grandmother showed her and listened carefully, whenever Mrs. Hale elaborated about their kind's lore.

While Stiles was cutting fresh tomatoes for the sandwiches they would serve as an after practice snack, Lilly spun the salad with excitement and Mrs. Hale entertained them by explaining the Hale family's Christmas traditions.

Every year, on the last Saturday before Christmas, there would be a big hunt where everyone who had mastered their first shift got the chance to prove him- or herself to the pack. One could either chose to go with the Alpha or they could go on their own. As a general unspoken rule, the younger wolves went by themselves to show off with their captured prey afterwards. Abigail's mate had brought home a huge stag when they had still been courting each other and Stiles noticed the woman blushing slightly at the memory.

“He looked so handsome”, she admitted coyly, “it was a clear night, the moon was nearly full and there he was: fangs and claws proudly protruding, carrying a huge stag over his shoulder as though it weighed nothing. His skin steaming against the crisp cold of December. He put the stag down right in front of me for me to inspect.” Mrs. Hale added some herbs to the dip she was preparing.

“Naturally, I took my time”, she smiled fondly at the memory, “making him wait a little. Shuffling from one foot to the other. The entire family watching.”

“Why's that, Grandma?” Lilly was still very focused on the salad spinner, never looking up from her task. Stiles bit her lips, that kid was so adorable!

“Well, honey, you see”, Abigail took the spinner from her to empty it out, “your Grandpa and I were very much in love, but that didn't mean that I would let him get away with anything. That stag was a courting present to me and it was my responsibility to inspect it thoroughly. Was it healthy? Was the fur all slashed up? Was it old and therefore easier to catch? Never settle for anything less than you deserve.”

As the tradition went, once the intended accepted the gift, the hunter would process the carcass (skin it, gut it, clean up the mess) while the intended was then supposed to prepare the meat. When there was no intended, the den maker took care of it.

“Peter brought home a boar last year”, Mrs. Hale continued, “there is always this competition going on between him and his cousins, God knows why.”

Stiles knew why. Peter had told her that his cousins were total dicks. And if Peter referred to someone as a dick, well, that was definitely something to take into consideration. Stiles also knew what Mrs. Hale was doing right now. The woman always had a tendency to slip the human girl information about werewolf courting habits and Peter's talents, disguised in the form of anecdotes and lore. Abigail Hale was one sly woman.

 _Oh, well, Peter must've gotten it from somewhere,_ Stiles chuckled.

“I've never eaten boar, before”, the girl cleaned the kitchen knife as she had finished the tomatoes and was about to start with the cucumbers, “venison, yeah, but never boar. Is it difficult to prepare?”

She pretended not to notice the pleased look Mrs. Hale sent her way.

“Well”, Mrs. Hale started, “you, see, boars are basically wild pigs, so in a way, one would go about them similar as they would to preparing pork, however, the muscle structure differs greatly since wild animals were not kept and fed like domestic animals....”

Stiles continued preparing sandwiches, basking in the woman's fountain of wisdom.

She liked Peter's mom an awful lot.

****************************

Coming to the Hale house itself wasn't so bad. The teen wolves got to practice their abilities, Talia could make sure everybody stayed in line, Scott had the chance to learn from another alpha and Stiles got to hang out with Lilly and Mrs. Hale who was teaching her werwolf lore, while advertising her youngest son. So far, so good.

But some Hales were cunning creatures, lurking in the shadows, waiting for their prey to step into their trap.

Mistletoe.

The tradition of kissing under a twig of mistletoe was taken to a whole new level with the Hales. The men probably didn't care so much, but the women?

Evil.

Pure evil.

After the initial Christmas decorating that Peter had dodged, the house had become a minefield. Stiles was constantly craning her neck to check for the stupid twigs Charlotte, Cora, Lilly and Abigail Hale were so fond of rearranging constantly.

Peter had given her a heads up via text earlier, pointing out which areas were to be avoided at all costs, still....Stiles didn't trust this.

She had managed to stay ahead of the game for the entire afternoon, scanning the place with a rising sense of paranoia. It wasn't the kissing that bothered her, rather who she might end up being forced to kiss. Peter would definitely be more than okay to kiss, Erica might not be so bad either, yet anybody else? Not on her watch!

Although, the idea of Scott and Jackson kissing made her giggle shamelessly.

Everybody else had already left and Stiles was also about to leave, having just put away the last of the dishes, when Peter stepped up to her. Oh, good, she had meant to ask him...

“Do you have any plans on Thursday night?”

He was obviously taken aback by her sudden question, nonetheless, he adapted quickly, leaned closer to her and leered.

“Well, I could make some time for you.”

Stiles did not need to look at him to know that he was sporting a predatory smile.

“Not like that”, she boxed him in the upper arm, which, of course, hurt since he was made from some sort of stone or something, “I've got tickets for a midnight showing at the Crescent Theater. You wanna go or not?”

Peter hadn't changed from the training lesson, yet, therefore, Stiles made it a point not to drool over his toned naked upper body. It also didn't help that his whole family was around. The girls were at the kitchen table, the adults in the seating area in plain view of the open kitchen. There was just no privacy in this house, how could Peter not understand why she wouldn't _do things with him_ when she was here?

“What movie?” Peter was mildly curious, since they did share some sort of interest considering movies.

“The Hobbit”, Stiles grinned. She had practically donated a kidney to get the tickets, she would go, no matter what!

“At midnight?”

“Yeah, that's the point of a midnight showing.”

“But you've got school the next day.”

“I already talked to my dad”, the girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “he said it was okay, since there are no tests that Friday.”

“Okay”, Peter shrugged, “do you want me to pick you up at 11?”

“It's a date”, Stiles smiled. She knew that Peter liked Tolkien. He had read all the books and had been curious about the movie adaptions as well. He had once told her how his mother had read the stories to him as a child; she still had to ask Mrs. Hale whether or not little Peter had gone Hobbit searching. To this day, Stiles would swear there had been footprints in their backyard.

She said her goodbyes to the family, always addressing the Alpha first, of course, when Lilly came running from the kitchen.

“Wait!” The toddler exclaimed. She tugged on Peter's jeans once she had reached them. Peter, living up to the title of favorite uncle, lifted her from the floor and hoisted her on his hip.

“What is it, sweetie?” By now, Stiles was used to Lilly demanding a special goodbye from her. Just a little extra attention. The kid got away with it every time.

Lilly's look of determination was to die for as the crammed for something in the pocket of her skirt. Eventually, she produced a greenish something from said pocket, held it out towards both Peter and Stiles and...

“Kiss!”

Stiles wanted to pee her pants! She was biting her lips hard enough to draw blood, her eyes were tearing up! She loved that kid!

“Lilly that's not how it works”, Peter rolled his eyes, “you're not allowed to ambush somebody like that.”

“But”, the little girl looked from her hand to Peter and to her hand again, “kiss?”

“Well, Peter's kind of right”, Stiles leaned closer to the her, “that's against the rules and if you don't play by the rules, _you_ get kissed!”

She immediately started to pepper small kisses all over Lilly's cheek. The pup was giggling within seconds, squirming in Peter's arms who even joined in on the other side of the toddler's face, making Lilly squeal until she was out of breath. Even little werewolves couldn't withstand the power of double kisses!

While they were busy _punishing_ Lilly, they didn't notice the rest of the family watching their antics. Mrs. Hale enjoyed the idea of another grandchild.

Mr. Hale tried to remember the last time he had seen his son this carefree.

Charlotte and her husband held hands, knowing that her child would always be safe and loved with these two.

Cora was happy for her uncle Peter, even if Derek wasn't. Stiles was good for her uncle and she would have to tell Laura all about it. Her sister was so jealous that she hadn't seen their uncle and his girlfriend, yet!

Aron Hale began to see a side of Peter that his mate had often told him about, nonetheless, he had never thought it possible.

Talia smiled; the future of her pack seemed promising.

****************************

Peter walked her to her car.

Before she was able to open the door properly, a hot body pressed her back against Jeep. Strong arms were caging her in.

 _Well, hello, Mr. Hale!_ Stiles thought when Peter's lips found hers and the world stopped moving until her legs were goo and her breath uneven.

“Kiss!” She heard Lilly screaming happily from the porch. “Momma, they're kissing!”

Peter dropped his head into the crate of her neck, inhaling her scent, chuckling lightly.

“What are they saying?” She knew that they were talking about them, though only Peter could hear it.

“They're telling her to give us some privacy and she's arguing that we're doing it wrong because there's no mistletoe”, he brushed with his nose against that special spot beneath her left ear, “and now, they're all explaining her that it's okay to kiss without mistletoe.”

“That's pretty confusing for a little kid, I gotta give her that”, Stiles admitted, leaning her head sideways to give Peter more access to her neck.

“It's all Mom's and Charlotte's fault”, the young man grumbled against her skin, teasing it with his teeth, “they're so obsessed with this whole stupid thing.”

“Kissing?” Her toes curled somewhat the moment Peter shifted his hips.

“Public embarrassment of family members”, he grunted out the moment Stiles pulled him closer to her.

“So kissing me is public embarrassment?”

“I'll kiss you when it suits me. I don't need some plant for that”, Peter captured her lips again to prove his point.

“Mhm”, was all Stiles could respond with the extra tongue in her mouth and all.

They made out until Peter's father called his son inside for dinner.

Stiles was invited to stay as well.

William Hale promised there would be no mistletoe. There were doing just fine without it.


	6. lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought this would turn into a regular thing...but apparently, it now is!
> 
> Thank you guys for your support <3
> 
> Did I mention that Derek is the same age as Scott and Stiles and all of the others? Did I mention that the Hale fire happened before Derek was born and that the whole Paige thing did not happen to Derek but to Peter which is why Derek used to be this super carefree jock character until the Argents showed up again and Kate tried to murder his entire family? Then, of course, the Alphas attacked and the Darach also took Talia hostage as a sacrifice? Did I mention that Derek then intended to ask Stiles out, but in the meantime, since Peter kissed Stiles at school to stop her from having a panic attack, they secretly started dating which is why Derek confronted Stiles about Peter only using her because Peter would never be interested in a girl like her? Did I mention that that arguement went horribly wrong because Derek is not very good with words?
> 
> Did I mention any of that?

Lunch period.

 _Finally,_ Stiles sighed in relief, _only one more block for today._

It wasn't long before Christmas break and all the teachers seemed to get a tad bit crazy towards the end of the year. It was as though they tried to cram as much information as possible into the students out of fear of them forgetting all of it over the two weeks that would be followed by semester finals.

Stiles still needed to figure out the topic for her presentation in her Art History class.

“This needs to stop”, Erica dropped her tray onto the table and pulled out the chair next to the other girl, “teachers can't just drill us like that. It's got to be against human rights.”

“They just don't wanna feel guilty if we fail our finals”, Stiles mixed her granola into her yoghurt, “by drilling us like that they are always able to tell themselves that they went through all the mandatory shit that's on their curriculum, so that if we fail, it's our fault and not theirs.”

Erica and her having lunch together had become a thing after summer vacation. During summer vacation, they had occasionally hung out which had slowly turned into them developing a friendship. Erica was a pretty great person, the whole freshly turned werewolf aggressiveness put aside. The blonde had even apologized for her supernatural power high. They were cool now.

“There are so many things wrong with that. I don't even”, Erica waved her hand in annoyance, took her utensils and began to dissect the _Chicken Parmesan._ That's what the cafeteria called it at least. Stiles was kind of glad that she had started bringing her own lunch.

“I know”, she said while mixing slices of pear and blueberries into her yoghurt.

“Got any ideas for Kent's assignment?”

Mr. Kent was their new English teacher after Ms. Blake had mysteriously disappeared. The guy was strict. Even Erica, who was an English bad ass, actually had to work for her grades. Their Christmas break assignment was to present and analyze alternative means of written communication and their impact on society. They had to hand in a proposal the day after tomorrow.

“Bumper stickers”, the brunette shrugged, “Finstock wants us to do a report on status symbols in eco and I thought about cars as a topic. Now, if Kent will let me go with bumper stickers, I'll only have to do research once for both assignments.”

“You really are the brains in this operation, Batman”, Erica grinned wolfishly.

“I try, Catwoman.”

“What is wrong with the guy?” Lydia sat down across from them.

“Please elaborate.”

This had also become a thing. The three of them having lunch together.

After the Darach ordeal, Lydia had at times started talking to them. By now, they were friends, too. The big plus their friendship provided at school? During lunchtime they had created a _Scallisaac_ free zone. They had come up with the term when this whole love triangle thing had taken off.

Pure drama.

With Allison complaining constantly to Lydia, Isaac complaining to either Boyd or Erica and Scott complaining to Stiles, the _Scallisaac_ free zone was necessary for their sanity. It wasn't that they didn't care but after several weeks, it was just too much. Particularly since all _Scallisaac_ talked about was _Scallisaac_. Allison was still mad at Lydia when the redhead had informed her that other people had problems, too. They weren't speaking right now. Stiles had briefly considered doing the same with Scott, yet, she didn't have the guts to do it.

Peter had, though.

He had been close to ripping Scott apart this one time when Scott at come over to her house at 1.30 am because Stiles hadn't answered her phone. Needless to say, Stiles had been _occupied_ with doing...um...Peter and Peter had not taken lightly to the other teenager entering her room unannounced. Scott should have bothered to check his surroundings, he really should have, but this entire Peter-thing was still new to him. He wasn't a big supporter, kind of the opposite to be honest.

So when the teen wolf had entered her room, Peter, having been fast asleep, had immediately attacked the intruder. It was a natural instinctive reaction for werewolves.

Scott, the idiot, had not submitted and fought back.

There had been growling, snarling and yelling on Stiles' part until her dad had eventually turned on the lights, his gun drawn.

He had ordered the werewolves apart with his Sheriff voice, calm but completely in charge of the situation, before asking what exactly had occurred.

In the end, Scott had wanted to talk to Stiles about Allison and Isaac and when the girl hadn't answered her phone, he had gotten worried and decided to come over.

Her dad had told Scott to go back home and Peter, well, Peter had been allowed to stay.

“You might wanna clean up some”, her dad had said and pointed at the bloody scratches along the side of Peter's torso.

Her dad might not be their biggest fan, but Peter was definitely in his good graces for protecting his only child.

After that incident, Peter had made it a point that she turned off her phone at night.

“Being there for pack is important, but so is a good night's rest. McCall needs to learn that he's responsible for you guys”, Peter had grumbled.

As a result, Stiles relationship with Scott was a bit tense due to Scott blaming Peter of taking his best friend away.

“Jackson”, Lydia spat out the name as though it was something vile.

It kind of was.

Their initial break-up before summer had been _the_ topic all over high school. Even though Lydia's love had broken the kanima curse, Jackson had still ended their relationship, saying that he needed to do some soul searching. He had spent his summer vacation in London and once the new school year had started, he had pretty much ignored Lydia while chasing girls with his fake British accent.

Of course, once Lydia and Aiden had hit it off, Jackson had all of the sudden remembered his former girlfriend.

The dick.

As time had gone by, Lydia and Aiden had strengthened their relationship, eliminating any chances for Jackson to get back together with her. In true dick fashion, he was now sleeping around, bragging about his latest conquests. Lydia couldn't fathom what she ever saw in him.

“What did he do now?” Erica looked mildly annoyed at the mentioning of the other werewolf. Jackson wasn't anybody's favorite person except Jackson's.

“Last thing I heard, Kelly Sawyer”, both Stiles and Erica chuckled.

“Eww”, the banshee wrinkled her nose,”I did so not need to know that.”

“So, what did he do, then?”

“He was mouthing off in the hallway about the amounts of snowflakes he would certainly get”, green eyes rolled deprecatingly, “and when I walked passed him, he said that he would also be handing out a few, you know, since he could afford it.”

Jackson was always stabbing at Aiden. Every chance he got. Probably because Aiden had the girl and cleaned his clock each training session. A vicious circle.

The snowflakes were a tradition at Beacon Hills High. They were the equivalent to roses for Valentine's Day. Their school, like every other school in the U.S., was desperate for money, so they had introduced a number of fund raisers over the years. Roses for Valentine's, chocolate eggs for Easter and snowflakes for Christmas. The snowflakes were made from different materials, thus some were pricier than others. The cheapest flakes were made from plastic and could just as easily be obtained at any Target or Walmart for a dollar per dozen. Of course, at school, they cost a dollar per piece. One could write a personal note on them and the snowflakes would be handed out on the last day of school before Christmas break during lunch period. The most expensive snowflakes were made from fake pearls and fake crystals and the school charged $10 for them.

_Daylight robbery!_

“Dick”, Stiles and Erica said in unison, cracking them up again.

“Exactly”, Lydia practically murdered that one cherry tomato with her fork.

“Does it bother you that he's still cutting Aiden down every chance he gets, or that he really thinks those stupid snowflakes mean anything when people hand them out like free samples?” The brunette tried to understand her friend's irritation. Usually, once they had gotten to the core of Lydia's problem, the redhead tended to be more composed. Stiles was like the personal counselor of their group.

“It's not that”, she mixed some dressing into her salad, “I just don't understand why he cannot grow up and just continues to be like nothing ever happened.”

It was true.

The Alpha pack and the Darach had changed most of them in some way. Jackson however seemed to be unaltered by the events. His friendship with Danny was strained, though, since Danny was still with Ethan, the evil twin, and Ethan wouldn't put up with Jackson badmouthing his brother.

“Repression”, Erica offered, “ _ensuring that what is unacceptable to the conscious mind, and would, if recalled, arouse anxiety, is prevented from entering into it_. I did a paper on it last year. Basically copied everything from Wikipedia. He's just lying to himself since he's afraid of the outcome of being honest.”

Stiles kept her mouth shut. Repression was a good friend of hers.

“Ignorant people are so beneath me”, Lydia flipped a strand of her hair over hair shoulder, “change of topic. I need ideas for my mother's Christmas present.”

“You're not alone”, Erica muttered into her soda, “my parents will have to make with matching pajamas at this point.”

“Peter and I had a conversation about this last night”, all of the sudden, Stiles had the other teenagers' undivided attention. They were always hungry for news about the couple. “It's really hard for him, because his family is huge. The Waltons can go packing, you have no idea.”

“So any ideas we could use?”

“Well, there are some that might work for you guys”, Stiles swallowed before continuing, “for his sisters and his mother, I suggested maybe a subscription box deal, since he claimed that they already had everything they needed. That could be fun and he doesn't really have to do anything.”

“How does that work?” Lydia rested her fork against her lips.

“There are a lot of companies right now that offer monthly subscription boxes. They've got all sorts of themes like beauty, food, clothes, even accessories. Each month, you get a box with new stuff in it, sometimes trial size, sometimes full size, all depending on the provider. Most of it is online, where you can edit your profile and rate the products you received. It's like a grab bag for adults”, Stiles shrugged.

“What else you got?”

“For his sister Charlotte and her husband, I thought they may like a gift card for _Painting with a Twist_. Charlotte is not the most artistic, but she's trying and it would be like a date night for them. They don't get a lot of these right now.”

“That sounds like something my parents would actually do”, Erica turned towards Stiles, “what is it about and how much is it?”

“It's basically a painting class but it's supposed to be super easy. My aunt went a couple of months ago with her friends and it was a huge hit. The instructors show you everything from scratch. What brushes to use, what paints to mix, how to apply them to the canvas and so on. There's also some alcohol involved. It's roughly 50 bucks per person, but it's definitely unique and you get to take your masterpiece home with you.”

“Interesting”, Lydia continued eating her salad, “so, what are you getting for your guys?”

“Boyd's just gotten into this new band, so I'll get him a signed poster and some of their music. Maybe a DVD.”

Erica and Boyd had been officially dating since the beginning of the school year. Stiles was happy for them.

“Anything that I can pass of as a $10 gift. Peter and I agreed not to spend more than that. Well, I ambushed him and made him agree.”

“You think he's gonna stick to that?” Erica raised her an eyebrow.

“Of course not”, the brunette scraped the last of her yoghurt out of the plastic container, “that's why I have to find something that passes as 10 bucks, so that he'll think I played by the rules, so that I win.” Her relationship with Peter was complicated, okay?

“Love is battlefield”, Lydia quoted.

The other girls nodded their heads.


End file.
